SELIGMAN LIBRARY OF ECONOMICS PURCHASED BY THE UNIVERSITY _ « f H E 25 ^—-J — P 'l ,L A N OB THE PENNSYLVANIA SOCIETY For the Encouragement of MANUFACTURES AND THE USEFUL ARTS . PHILADELPHIA: Printed by A AITKEN SON, at Pope’s Head, laf Market Street. M.DCC.LXXXVJI. THE P L A N 0 F The Pennsylvania Society, for the Encourage ■» ment of Manufactures and the Ufeful Arts, T HE wealth and profperity of nations principally depend on a due attention to agriculture, manufactures and commerce. In the various ftages of her political exift- ence, America has derived great advantages from the eftablifhment of Manufactures and the ufeful Arts. Her prefent fituation in the world calls her by new and weighty confix derations to promote and extend them. The : United States, having affumed the ftation of an independent government, require new refourcea [ 4 ] refotirces to Support tlieir rank and influ¬ ence both abroad and at home. Our dis¬ tance from the nations of Europe,—?our poSefling within ourfelves the materials of the ufeful arts, and articles of confumption and commerce,—the profufion of wood and water, (thofe powerful and neceflary agents in all arts and manufactures)—the vari¬ ety of natural productions with which this extenfive country abounds and the number of people in our towns and moft ancient Settlements, whofe education has qualified them for employments of this nature,—all concur to point out the neceflity of our pro¬ moting and eftablHhing manufactures a- mong ourfelves. From a conviction of the truth and im¬ portance of thefe faCts, a number of perfons have agreed to affociate themfelves under the nameof The Pennsylvania Society for the Encouragement of Manu¬ factures and the Useful Arts. FpR For the purpofe of carrying their views into effeft they have adopted the following conftitution. Every citizen of the United States of America, who {hall fubfcribe this conftituti¬ on or fignify his affent thereto by letter, fo long as he {hall fullfil the engagements thereof, (hall be confidered as a member of the fociety. The prefident of the ftate, for the time being, {hall be the patron of the inftitution, III. T h e fociety {hall be govern’d by a prefident, four vice-prefidents and twelve managers. Their other officers {hall be two fecretaries, a treafurer and a committee for manufactures, all of whom (except the committee for ma¬ nufactures) {hall be chofen annually by bal¬ lot by a majority of the members convene^ at t 6 1 at a general meeting on the 20th day of Ja¬ nuary, with the due exception of Sunday, IV. The prefident (or in his abfence one of the vice-prefidents) fliall prefide at the meetings, and fubfcribe the public ads of the fociety, and fliall have the power of call¬ ing general meetings when he fliall deem it neceffary, or when fix members fliall re¬ quell it. V. The hoard of managers (of which the prefident and vice-prefidents in virtue of their offices fliall always be apart) fliall be govern¬ ed in the fame manner as is already preferr¬ ed for the fociety at large and in the abfence of the prefident and all the vice-prefidents, they fliall chufe a chairman for the occafi- on. Seven of the whole fliall be a quorum. They fliall meet once in every month, and may be fummoned fpecially by the prefi¬ dent, or in his abfence by either of the vice- prefidents. presidents. Their duty (hall be to offer and confer premiums, to colled and diffeminate ufeful information, to examine into the modes of manufaduring at the fadories in order to increafe the advantages and remove the difficulties, under which they may be conduded, to difpofe of all the monies of the Society, except what ffiall be Specially fubfcribed for the purpofe of manufaduring, and generally to do fuch other things' as will promote the defign of the inftitution. lx ffiall be the duty of the Secretaries to attend all general meetings of the fociety, and of the prefident, vice-prefidents and board of managers. They ffiall keep regu-. lar minutes of the proceedings and ffiall do fuch other things from time to time as ap¬ pertain to their office. VH. Every member, on his admiffion, ffiall pay to the treafurer the fum often Shillings, at ieaft,. C 8 3 leaft, and the lame fum annually during his continuing a member, which {hall go into THE GENERAL EUND, to defray the ne- ceflary expences of the Society, to confer premiums and to accomplifti every other falutary meafure confiftent with the de- fign of the inftitution. VIII. For the better employment of the induf- trious poor, and in order to render the fo- ciety as ufeful as poffible, a fubfcription, for fums not lefs than ten pounds from any one perfon or company, {hall be immediately opened to all perfons whatever, for the pur- pofe of eftablifhing factories in fuch places, as {hall be thought moft fuitable. Thefe fubfcribers {hall be entitled to all the profits attending the bufinefs, and {hall be the foie owners of all the lots of ground, buildings, implements, raw materials, and other things, purchafedorpaid for out of their fubfcripti- ons, which {hall be called, THE MANU- FAC- FACTORING FUND. They fhall hold occa¬ sional meetings for the management and im¬ provement of their practical affairs, at fuch times and places as they fhall determine on, in which meetings the prefident or vice- prefidents of the Society (provided they fhall be fubfcribers to the fund) fhall prefide, unlefs prevented by abfence, in which cafe they fhall chufe a chairman for the occafion. IX. The manufacturing comftiittee fhall con- lift of twelve members, who fhall be chofen by ballot annually, by a majority of the fuh- farthers to the manufaffuring fund only , con¬ vened at a meeting of the faid fubfcribers, to be held (with the due exception of Sun¬ day) on the day next following the general meeting of the Society for the election of officers. This committee fhall have the foie difpofition of the faid fund, and fhall con¬ duct the factories in fuch manner as they fhall think moft advifable, fubjeCt however [ 10 1 to fuch regulations and infractions as fhall be given to them from time to time by the fubfcrihers to the manufacturing fund. They fhall chufe a chairman and hold meet¬ ings once in every month, or oftener, iffum- moned by their chairman, on application to him from any two of their board. They fhall make careful obfervation on every cir- cumftance attending the various branches, which they may carry on and report to the prefident, vice-prefidents and managers, fuch difficulties, advantages and improvements as their practice and experience fhall fug-: gelt. The fhares in the manufacturing fund fhall be transferable; but all transfers, ex¬ cept thofe by will, fhall beatteftedby the pre¬ fident, one of the vice-prefidents, a notary public, or a juftlce of the peace : provided, that no proprietor of a ffiare fhall be per¬ mitted to vote at any election for officers, who 1 H il who fhall not produce, at fuch .ele&ion, • a certificate of his being a member: and, it} order to entitle the perfon to whom the trans¬ fer is made, to vote, it mull be made at leaft ten days before fuch ele&ion. XL .. This Society will hold itfelf in duty bouhd to correfpond and fteadily co-operate with fuch fimilar inftitutions as now are, or hereafter fhall be eftablifhed in others of the United States. XII. For the general purpofes of the inftitu-; tion, a quarterly meeting fhall be held once in three months, on the 20th day of January, April, July and October, with the due exception of Sunday, XIII. The board of managers and the committee for manufactures, refpeCtively, fhall account ' annually f i! ] annually to the Society, forthedifpofition of the funds leverally intrufted to their ma¬ nagement. XIV. No alteration in this conftitution fhall be made, without the confent of two-thirds of the members convened at a general meet¬ ing of the Society called for tjie purpofe. THE- END.